Each year over 20,000 people visit the hospital due to carbon monoxide poisoning. This colorless, odorless gas is known as the silent killer because it’s virtually undetectable without a carbon monoxide detector.
Carbon monoxide, as confirmed by the CDC, is given off by gas ranges, furnaces, fireplaces, stoves, and boilers so it only makes sense that carbon monoxide poisoning rises during the winter months when people are trying to keep their homes heated. To help keep your home safe, Robinson Service Experts is here with a few tips to safety heat your home.
- Install a CO detector on all floors of your home and change the batteries every year.
- Keep all possible sources of combustion, such as paper, clothing, bedding, or rugs, a minimum of three feet away from space heaters, stoves, furnaces or fireplaces.
- Before lighting a fire in the fireplace, be sure to check to ensure the chimney damper is open and unobstructed.
- Don’t leave portable heaters or fireplaces alone. Shut off space heaters and make sure all embers in the fireplace are completely extinguished before leaving either heating source unattended.
- Space heaters should always be positioned on the floor, and on a hard, nonflammable surface, like ceramic tile. Keep kids and pets away from space heaters.
- When buying a new space heater, buy a model that powers off automatically if the heater tips over.
- Never use a oven to heat your home.
- Have wood and coal stoves, fireplaces, chimneys and gas or oil furnaces professionally inspected and cleaned every year.
The ultimate thing you can do for your heating equipment is to make sure it’s not only up to the task of keeping you warm all winter but also safe, is to set-up your heating tune-up. During your heating tune-up, Robinson Service Experts will check to be sure your heating system is operating safely with a total multi-point inspection and cleaning. Call 847-306-8730 today and find out how you can save on a fall tune-up through November 25th.